The votes are in, and Sanitary District 2 will remain in operation. The final count was 4,597 to keep the district in place and 1,682 to dissolve it.

Among members of the Long Island Progressive Coalition and Residents for Efficient Special Districts, the outlook was positive as well — with equivocations. David Segal, communications coordinator for the LIPC, which backed RESD, said he felt that while his group’s referendum did not pass, it was not altogether unsuccessful.

“The thing we’re most excited about is that the vote

mobilized a higher number of people than you see in these kinds of elections,” Segal said. “Turnout was at least triple the mobilization you usually see, which means people are talking about these issues. That’s never a bad thing. The more people that take civic engagement seriously, the more excited we will be.”

Asked why he thought Sani2 had such a strong showing, Segal pointed to the district’s work after Hurricane Sandy. “The district’s performance after Sandy was great,” he said. “That’s to their credit.”

Segal went on to say that his side’s efforts would pay dividends in the future. “I think as a result of this effort, you might see people being more active in traditionally nonpolitical parts of Long Island,” he said. “This isn’t the end of efforts like this.”